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The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation
"Rome's genial new book . . . brings to life another era." ― Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker
The first Earth Day is the most famous little-known event in modern American history. Because we still pay ritual homage to the planet every April 22, everyone knows something about Earth Day. Some people may also know that Earth Day 1970 made the environmental movement a major force in American political life. But no one has told the whole story before.
The story of the first Earth Day is it had a power, a freshness, and a seriousness of purpose that are difficult to imagine today. Earth Day 1970 created an entire green generation. Thousands of Earth Day organizers and participants decided to devote their lives to the environmental cause. Earth Day 1970 helped to build a lasting eco-infrastructure―lobbying organizations, environmental beats at newspapers, environmental-studies programs, ecology sections in bookstores, community ecology centers.
In The Genius of Earth Day , the prizewinning historian Adam Rome offers a compelling account of the rise of the environmental movement. Drawing on his experience as a journalist as well as his expertise as a scholar, he explains why the first Earth Day was so powerful, bringing one of the greatest political events of the twentieth century to life.
The first Earth Day is the most famous little-known event in modern American history. Because we still pay ritual homage to the planet every April 22, everyone knows something about Earth Day. Some people may also know that Earth Day 1970 made the environmental movement a major force in American political life. But no one has told the whole story before.
The story of the first Earth Day is it had a power, a freshness, and a seriousness of purpose that are difficult to imagine today. Earth Day 1970 created an entire green generation. Thousands of Earth Day organizers and participants decided to devote their lives to the environmental cause. Earth Day 1970 helped to build a lasting eco-infrastructure―lobbying organizations, environmental beats at newspapers, environmental-studies programs, ecology sections in bookstores, community ecology centers.
In The Genius of Earth Day , the prizewinning historian Adam Rome offers a compelling account of the rise of the environmental movement. Drawing on his experience as a journalist as well as his expertise as a scholar, he explains why the first Earth Day was so powerful, bringing one of the greatest political events of the twentieth century to life.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 16, 2013
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197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 23, 2021
Surprisingly good overview of the founding of Earth Day and its consequences. I didn't realize how large an impact this had -- both a Senator and grass-roots, and a bunch of effective work. It wasn't as partisan or anti-capitalist as more modern environmental activism seems to be; it was a broadly attractive and reasonable idea in the 1970s, solving real problems.
October 7, 2022
Really interesting look into the history of the day itself - never thought about the work that goes into something that’s so internationally recognised now. Although short this audio course is chocked full of facts and figures to keep you listening throughout.
July 1, 2014
Rome is a very good writer for an academic historian and the book just flies by. He also does a great job of capturing how radically different the country's relationship was with environmentalism in 1970 as compared to today -- the crusading spirit of newspapers big and small across the country, the sense that ecology posed an entirely new way of thinking about the world as opposed to just being a technical problem to be solved. The focus on Earth Day is a little much, though. While it was clearly a seminal event, in ways I hadn't realized prior to reading the book, the story he tells is just clearly one that unfolds over the course of a decade, not a year or day. So some things seem a little forced. Still, an eye-opening book that really expands ones political imagination.
September 3, 2024
The short Audible version of Adam Rome's The Genius of Earth Day provides a compelling overview of the early pro-environmental movement, showing how grassroots activism played a crucial role in driving significant change. The book illustrates how the first Earth Day in 1970 became a pivotal moment, galvanizing public awareness and influencing environmental policies.
Rome does a great job of capturing the spirit of that time, emphasizing how the movement was driven by a sense of personal responsibility and collective action. While the environmental landscape has evolved over the past half-century, the insights from this era remain highly relevant. The book serves as a valuable reminder of the power of activism in shaping a better future.
Though the audiobook is brief, it’s packed with information and offers a clear understanding of how the environmental movement gained momentum. It's a worthwhile listen for anyone interested in the history of environmentalism and how effective activism can lead to real change.
Rome does a great job of capturing the spirit of that time, emphasizing how the movement was driven by a sense of personal responsibility and collective action. While the environmental landscape has evolved over the past half-century, the insights from this era remain highly relevant. The book serves as a valuable reminder of the power of activism in shaping a better future.
Though the audiobook is brief, it’s packed with information and offers a clear understanding of how the environmental movement gained momentum. It's a worthwhile listen for anyone interested in the history of environmentalism and how effective activism can lead to real change.
August 10, 2022
This audio course is really short, but it is reasonably good. I thought it might be a ridiculous propaganda piece, but it was mostly the history of the movement and how Earth Day came into existence.
I actually remember the first Earth Day. For me it was an excuse to get out of class more than anything else, but it couldn't have happened without a lot of general support for it and organizing by people who wanted to make it happen.
I would only listen to this audio course again if I wanted to catch some citation in it.
I actually remember the first Earth Day. For me it was an excuse to get out of class more than anything else, but it couldn't have happened without a lot of general support for it and organizing by people who wanted to make it happen.
I would only listen to this audio course again if I wanted to catch some citation in it.
August 2, 2021
It seems strange to include this in The Great Courses series. This could be one or two episodes of a podcast. This could be a chapter in a full course on climate change or the environmental movement. Having a 1 hr 43 min audiobook seems kind of silly. Still, it is an interesting and motivating story to see how, in the 1970s, huge numbers of people came together with passion and accomplished real change to help the planet.
October 23, 2022
I learned how much trash was in the rivers, lead in the water, etc before the 70s.
Earth Day was a big movement with lots of student organizers. They had tons of speakers.
It changed the way people think, and the environment is now is permanently bigger in mindshare.
Earth Day was a big movement with lots of student organizers. They had tons of speakers.
It changed the way people think, and the environment is now is permanently bigger in mindshare.
July 21, 2023
Great explanation of the lead up to earth day and the movement as a whole. The book gives a great overview of what went into the planning and organizing of the first earth day celebrations, including reasoning for a creation of a green generation movement that fueled the environmental decade.
October 6, 2017
I learned a lot, and pleasantly.
March 24, 2019
An interesting book on the history of Earth Day!
May 28, 2020
Overview of the origins, events, and legacy of Earth Day. A lot of interesting anecdotes and quotes from speeches. Not revealing, but a smooth read.
May 2, 2022
Just goes to prove that you ain’t gotta be a SOMEBODY to do something.
May 6, 2022
Informational but not really inspiring, at least not for me.
June 2, 2022
Keep urgent and carry on.
September 29, 2023
Just finished listening to the great courses version of this. It was very interesting to learn about
January 31, 2025
The origins of the environmental movement.
June 4, 2013
The first Earth Day was an impressive event. Teach-ins were held at 1,500 colleges and 10,000 schools (x). They were held in cities across the country. Rome writes, "The teach-ins collectively involved more people that the biggest civil-rights and antiwar demonstrations in the 1960s" (v). And, according to Adam Rome, the first Earth Day created the first green generation. This was not only because of the effect the day had on the millions of individuals who participated. Earth Day required thousands of speakers. Many of them had not spoken publicly previously. The organizers had often never previously organized events. For many of those who worked on the first Earth Day the event changed their life. In this way, Rome calls for us to re-evaluate the contribution of Gaylord Nelson, the senator often credited for the day. Nelson, Rome reminds us, did not call for the first Earth Day. He called for a national teach-in on the environment. This decision, along with his de-centered approach (letting many others make the decisions that would shape the day) can be seen as responsible for the event's long-lasting impact.
I appreciate the coherence with which the book is organized. Rome's research is clearly impressive, and I cannot imagine the number of frameworks he must have tried on for size before deciding on this particular schema.
Chapter One provides the prehistory of Earth Day. Chapter two gives us a sample of the organizers of earth day. Who were they? How did the event affect them? Chapter Three examines the wide variety of events that were held. Chapter Four tells us about many of those who spoke at Earth Day events. Chapter Five looks at the development of eco-infrastructure as a result of Earth Day, including increasing media coverage and the rise of independent publications. As Rome writes, "According to a survey by the federal Council of Environmental Quality, the number of local environmental organizations nearly doubled from 1968 to 1974" (207).
Rome decides to give us a range of representative stories to try to capture the wide variety of experiences across the United States. Rome does a particularly good job providing the historical context in a way that would be accessible for non-experts.
One of the stories I found most intriguing and useful was the description of Arturo Sandoval. Sandoval was hired by the national teach-in staff as a Western organizer. Sandoval organized the Earth Day event in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Journal reported about the plans for the march and quoted an organizer: "The environmental crisis is nothing new to the Chicano population. This crisis has existed since the Chicano was forced from his farm lands into the crowded, polluted, poverty stricken barrios. The Chicano's environment has long been one of deprivation and exploitation."
This is not a book that fundamentally changed the framework with which I understand the history of U.S. environmentalism. It isn't trying to be that book. Instead it greatly deepened my understanding of Earth Day and the modern environmental movement in the late 1960s through the early 1970s.
I appreciate the coherence with which the book is organized. Rome's research is clearly impressive, and I cannot imagine the number of frameworks he must have tried on for size before deciding on this particular schema.
Chapter One provides the prehistory of Earth Day. Chapter two gives us a sample of the organizers of earth day. Who were they? How did the event affect them? Chapter Three examines the wide variety of events that were held. Chapter Four tells us about many of those who spoke at Earth Day events. Chapter Five looks at the development of eco-infrastructure as a result of Earth Day, including increasing media coverage and the rise of independent publications. As Rome writes, "According to a survey by the federal Council of Environmental Quality, the number of local environmental organizations nearly doubled from 1968 to 1974" (207).
Rome decides to give us a range of representative stories to try to capture the wide variety of experiences across the United States. Rome does a particularly good job providing the historical context in a way that would be accessible for non-experts.
One of the stories I found most intriguing and useful was the description of Arturo Sandoval. Sandoval was hired by the national teach-in staff as a Western organizer. Sandoval organized the Earth Day event in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Journal reported about the plans for the march and quoted an organizer: "The environmental crisis is nothing new to the Chicano population. This crisis has existed since the Chicano was forced from his farm lands into the crowded, polluted, poverty stricken barrios. The Chicano's environment has long been one of deprivation and exploitation."
This is not a book that fundamentally changed the framework with which I understand the history of U.S. environmentalism. It isn't trying to be that book. Instead it greatly deepened my understanding of Earth Day and the modern environmental movement in the late 1960s through the early 1970s.
April 25, 2015
I received this book free through Goodreads' First Reads program.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, though I was interested in reading about the subject. The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation is a history of the first Earth Day and an exploration of why it was so successful, and how it managed to change (or create, depending on your point of view) the Environmental movement in the U.S.
Adam Rome goes into great detail about the various people responsible for sheepherding the first Earth Day from the original announcement through the event itself. He also goes on to analyze how it changed the way U.S. citizens and the government viewed environmental issues, and why subsequent Earth Day events, especially the large 1990 Earth Day (which in sheer numbers was probably larger than the original 1970 Earth Day) have not had the same impact.
The notes are extensive and show a lifetime of research and interviews related to the subject of environmental issues in general and Earth Day itself. Many extraordinary people are profiled who were inspired by Earth Day events or by becoming involved in organizing those events. While of great interest to those interested in the history of environmental causes in the U.S., this could also be of interest to those wanting to understand how and why grassroots activism works.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, though I was interested in reading about the subject. The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation is a history of the first Earth Day and an exploration of why it was so successful, and how it managed to change (or create, depending on your point of view) the Environmental movement in the U.S.
Adam Rome goes into great detail about the various people responsible for sheepherding the first Earth Day from the original announcement through the event itself. He also goes on to analyze how it changed the way U.S. citizens and the government viewed environmental issues, and why subsequent Earth Day events, especially the large 1990 Earth Day (which in sheer numbers was probably larger than the original 1970 Earth Day) have not had the same impact.
The notes are extensive and show a lifetime of research and interviews related to the subject of environmental issues in general and Earth Day itself. Many extraordinary people are profiled who were inspired by Earth Day events or by becoming involved in organizing those events. While of great interest to those interested in the history of environmental causes in the U.S., this could also be of interest to those wanting to understand how and why grassroots activism works.
April 27, 2017
This gets 3.5 stars, rounded up. After the first two chapters, there is no real narrative to hook readers, so some folks will find it quite dry. This is in part because the nature of Earth Day 1970 is perhaps better captured by a different style book. The first Earth Day was a success because it produced local discussions and local action in communities throughout the United States. There simply isn't a single driving force or goal from which to hang a tight narrative. Senator Gaylord Nelson provided the impetus and gave ongoing credibility to the overarching project throughout the months of organizing, but he never imposed a specific agenda.
That's Rome's thesis, anyway. Earth day hitched education and open dialogue with political activism in a novel way. And it worked. Because the events were so dispersed and diverse and because so many of the organizers were relative nobodies, chapters three through the epilogue provide samples of events and speakers and long-term outcomes drawn from all over the country. Some of the individuals profiled became relatively famous as environmental authors or politicians, but others continued to work locally to change perceptions and encourage action. The reach and diversity of these outcomes demonstrates the genius of Earth Day.
The Genius of Earth Day isn't flashy. It's very straightforward in its approach. But if you're interested in how a single event helped galvanize a whole political movement, it's worth a read.
That's Rome's thesis, anyway. Earth day hitched education and open dialogue with political activism in a novel way. And it worked. Because the events were so dispersed and diverse and because so many of the organizers were relative nobodies, chapters three through the epilogue provide samples of events and speakers and long-term outcomes drawn from all over the country. Some of the individuals profiled became relatively famous as environmental authors or politicians, but others continued to work locally to change perceptions and encourage action. The reach and diversity of these outcomes demonstrates the genius of Earth Day.
The Genius of Earth Day isn't flashy. It's very straightforward in its approach. But if you're interested in how a single event helped galvanize a whole political movement, it's worth a read.
November 5, 2016
I did enjoy this book (I read it for my Enviro History class), but I think the idea of the 'genius' of Earth Day is a little far-fetched - it was really a happy coincidence and a number of factors working together that made it what it was. However, Rome's book is an informative and readable telling of how it all happened.
May 31, 2022
I loved this book. It links modern times with the past well and has a ton of great history.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews